Architectural Cut Paper Interactive Installation NYC

A City All Connected was an interactive public installation that took place during a residency in the Artist Studios program at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York on Sundays from October 11, 2015 - January 31, 2016.

Over the course of the residency I created an interactive tabletop installation of cut paper buildings inspired by the buildings around the Museum of Arts and Design. Visitors to the studio rearranged the buildings, creating a constantly changing cityscape. I was thrilled with the complexity of form that visitors created but the real magic of the project was the conversations I had with visitors about their impromptu constructions, which inspired the project title. As one visitor said, "It's practically a psychological experiment." Visitor quotes about their work are included with most images.

Many thanks to the Museum of Arts and Design for the opportunity to present this project and to the many visitors whose energy and creativity made it such a success. On mobile, click the white dot in the lower right corner of enlarged images to show full quotes.

"I'm building out over the air space of existing buildings. It's the only available space in New York."

"It's Columbus Circle."

"It's a hotel called Mystery House. It's like a house in Japan I read about that someone built for their whole life and it has lots of secret passages and dead ends."

"I'm thinking about how the forms connect. It's like doodling with structures."

'It reminds me of the Holocaust Museum in Israel."

"It's practically a psychological experiment. I've realized I'm a horrible perfectionist. And I hate roofs."

"It's a racetrack."

"It's a garden in the sky. There's a big greenhouse and then my little house. I want to be really high up so no one can bother me."

"The roof will keep you dry between buildings. It's built for a tropical country."

"I wasn't thinking about function."

"It's lots of buildings with bridges connecting the roofs. It's like a book I read about the apocalypse where people had to build bridges between buildings to get around."

"It's a condominium complex with a long entrance hall. It's a good place to walk your dog."

"It's a city all connected. There's a library, the main city hall, an office building, satellites, and smaller houses."